The Black Rock was one of the hot springs to be discovered along the Avon Gorge, the most well known was St Vincent's Rock. As this picture shows, the rock here was inaccessible. It was only reachable by a horse track down the cliffs known as 'the Gully'. The spring was developed as the 'New Hotwells' and a pump room and lodging houses were built. However it never became as popular as St Vincent's spring because of the dangerous approach.